SURAT THANI – Officials attempted to persuade a foreign man who had climbed a telecommunication tower to come down for about two hours, but were unsuccessful. He plunged from 62 metres and died.
The incident occurred at 10 a.m. on April 19 at the DTAC telecommunications tower in Village No. 2, Wiang Subdistrict, Chaiya District, Surat Thani Province. Villagers there alerted the Chaiya Police Station in Chaiya District to rush to assist a foreign guy who had climbed a very high tower, roughly 62 metres above ground.
The officers then went to the scene, accompanied by rescue workers from the Chaiya District Charity Foundation. The telecom tower was roughly 100 metres from the intersection in Chaiya District. Villagers gathered to see the foreigner, hoping that the officials could assist him.
Throughout the negotiations, the police officers attempted to persuade the man, who was known later as Mr. Robert, a 49-year-old Polish man. He was sitting on a tower in a meditative position, taking off his shirt, and without responding to any questions. The rescue workers then prepared safety air cushions at the bottom.
Later, monks and language teachers from Suan Mokkh International Temple sought to persuade the man but were unsuccessful. After more than two hours, his man jumped to the ground 20 metres from the tower, dying instantly.
According to the early investigation, Mr. Robert spent roughly three days practicing Dhamma at Suan Mokkh International before climbing the tower. He carried a stick and destroyed a villager’s fence. He then climbed a telecom tower and plummeted to his death.
Officials sent the deceased to Surat Thani Hospital for an autopsy. They continued their investigation to determine the cause of the fatal incident and contacted the Polish embassy to notify relatives.
